Orbital Photographs Show Iran's Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Targeted by Joint US and Israeli Airstrikes.

A series of American and Israeli strikes has according to analysis destroyed or damaged no fewer than 11 warships belonging to Iran starting the weekend, new orbital imagery reveal, with rocket sites and nuclear sites also sustaining hits.

Pictures of the southerly Konarak naval naval base and the Bandar Abbas port facility, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, show plumes of smoke rising from multiple ships on recent days.

Maritime Forces Incurred Major Damage

Among the targets eliminated was the Makran, Iran's biggest warship which had served as a unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Satellite images showed dark plumes pouring from the ship which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas naval base.

Analytical assessments indicate that at least a quintet of warships at Bandar Abbas were "struck or destroyed". Imagery of the southern end of the harbor depict plumes ascending from the Makran, while additional vessels are visibly damaged, with a single one seen burning.

At the Konarak base, images reveal several stricken ships, with intelligence reports pointing to impacts on six vessels. Pictures from the start of the week also show that multiple buildings at the installation have been destroyed.

"For decades the Tehran government has threatened global maritime traffic," an American commander said. "At present, there is no Iranian vessel operational in the Arabian Gulf, Hormuz Strait or Sea of Oman, and we will not stop."

A number of ships allegedly sunk may have been hidden in satellite images by haze or plumes, or struck at sea, and have not been independently verified. Separate reports stated that one Iranian ship was foundering near Sri Lankan territorial waters, leading to a rescue operation.

Missile Bases and Nuclear Locations Hit

The destruction of Iran's rocket sites and the hindering of atomic bomb programs were listed as other aims of the air campaign. Satellite images also showed damage at the southern Khorgu and north-western Tabriz missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck.

Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone unmanned aircraft site west of Kermanshah, widespread destruction was identified to warehouses, bunkers and drone launch equipment.

Impact was also seen at a radar site at the Zahedan military airport in eastern Iran, near the frontier with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Significantly, the latest wave of attacks have apparently hit installations at the Natanz complex – widely believed to be at the center of Iran's nuclear programme. A global monitoring agency commented that the damaged structures were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely.

Wider Consequences and Analysis

Defense experts suggested that the offensive appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iranian navy's capacity to carry out conventional attacks using its largest vessels. Nevertheless, it was noted that Iran still has the option to launch asymmetric warfare at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of oil ships.

The full scope of the destruction caused to Iranian military infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed, with strikes reportedly continuing. Photos also reveals widespread destruction to the command center of the the IRGC in the capital Tehran.

A significant number of non-military structures also are reported to have been damaged in the capital city and across Iran since the conflict began. Toll estimates from local officials indicate that hundreds of civilians may have been killed in the bombardment.

As the situation develops, review of space-based data will persist to assess the evolving battlefield picture.